Insurance claim delay leads to disabled man losing home

CIMB Bank will attempt to resolve a dispute raised by a customer who claimed that his house was auctioned off while he was seeking an insurance payout to finance his mortgage.

"Our customer resolution unit has been informed of the said customer's complaint and is working on a resolution to the matter.

"The customer will be contacted directly by the bank on the resolution to this matter," the bank's spokesperson told Malaysiakini yesterday.

G Sundaran, 58, claimed that his low-cost apartment was repossessed by the bank and auctioned off while his insurance claim was being processed.

The former driver said he was paralysed from the neck down after an accident in April 2014. However, his insurance claim through CIMB's partner Sun Life Malaysia was yet to be disbursed.

Sundaran claimed that the bank's branch in Shah Alam had, for two years, repeatedly said the insurance claim was being processed but did not explain the reason for the delay.

While waiting for the insurance claim to be disbursed, Sundaran tried his best to keep up with outstanding payments and at one point resorted to borrowing from loan sharks.

Prospect of homelessness

Sundaran also claimed that despite meeting all payments, he received a notice on July 10 informing him that the apartment would be auctioned on July 17.

His wife, M Kalyani, 54, said she was worried about the prospect of becoming homeless.

"I'm not scared of Ah Long (loan sharks) coming. I'm scared of where we will go," she said while holding her husband, who is now capable of supporting himself with a walking stick.

Last Thursday, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) secretary-general A Sivarajan raised the matter with CIMB officials at the bank's headquarters.

Sivarajan said the bank officials told him they would look into the matter and may hold talks with the winning bidder for Sundaran's flat.

"They have also requested us to fill out the insurance forms for Sundaran again, and they will handle it straight from this office, not their Shah Alam branch," Sivarajan told journalists after the meeting.

When told of Sivarajan's claims, the CIMB spokesperson refused to comment, quoting confidentiality laws. - Mkini